SHANGHAI, China and STAMFORD, Conn. — WWE today announced that it will return to China in search of the next generation of Superstars by holding a talent tryout in Shanghai, its largest tryout in China to date. The four-day tryout, from Monday, July 15, through Thursday, July 18, will give up to 50 male and female athletes from China the opportunity to showcase their abilities, with the goal of being selected to begin training at the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla.
“We are excited to return to Shanghai following the huge success of the first tryout in 2016,” said Paul “Triple H” Levesque, WWE Executive Vice President, Talent, Live Events & Creative. “I have a personal message to every athlete and performer in China who has a dream of becoming a WWE Superstar: I am coming to Shanghai to help you make that happen. This is real, this is your chance. Step up and take this opportunity to change your life forever.”
Beginning today, the official WWE recruitment website at www.wweperformancecenter.com is available in Mandarin. Tailored to athletes who are interested in pursuing a career in sports-entertainment, the website features information about the WWE recruitment process, and provides a detailed look at what day-to-day life is like for NXT Superstars and members of the WWE Performance Center roster.
The online hub includes step-by-step instructions on how to apply for the tryout, as well as access to the official application form; an overview of the many resources available to WWE Performance Center recruits, from professional development and life-skills services, to in-ring training and on-site medical care; photos of the entire Performance Center roster, including current NXT Superstars and champions; biographies of the WWE PC’s industry-leading coaching staff; testimonials from Monday Night Raw and SmackDown LIVE Superstars; and videos from past tryouts, including those held at the Performance Center and internationally.
Applications to participate in the tryout can also be submitted via the PP Sports website at http://sports.pptv.com/wwe/tryout2019.
The first WWE talent tryout in Shanghai, held in June 2016, resulted in seven participants signing developmental contracts and moving to Orlando, Fla., to train fulltime at the WWE Performance Center. Today, Boa, Mars and Rocky train at the Performance Center with Xia Li, who appears regularly in NXT live events and NXT programming on WWE Network, available in China via PP Sports.
The tryout in Shanghai is the latest example of WWE’s global talent recruiting efforts. In recent years, WWE has scouted rugby and soccer players from Europe, kabaddi and kushti athletes from India, and martial artists and boxers from China. WWE has held similar tryouts in London, Dubai, Tokyo, Jeddah, Cologne, Santiago and Mumbai.